The Buildout: Electric co-op first to sign New Mexico BEAD award

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The Buildout is a column from Light Reading tracking broadband network deployments. This week we're tracking new construction, awards and service launches reaching over 37,000 locations across the US. Send us your news at [email protected]. Keep up with every installment of The Buildout here and sign up for the Light Reading Broadband newsletter here to get The Buildout in your inbox every Friday.

First BEAD agreement signed in New Mexico

New Mexico announced its first signed BEAD agreement with a service provider, bringing the state a step closer to getting a BEAD-funded shovel in the ground. According to a press release, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative has signed its grant agreement, through which it will receive $26.9 million in BEAD funds to build a "massive fiber project," connecting 3,935 locations in Colfax, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties. Kit Carson will put up $12 million in matching funds for the project as well. Among the locations included in the build, 1,970 are unserved locations, 1,965 are underserved and 31 are community anchor institutions, said the state. With the grant agreement signed, Kit Carson will still need to complete environmental reviews and other prerequisites before commencing construction. In a press release, the state broadband office noted that Kit Carson's BEAD award is "the first of 19 BEAD projects awarded to 15 providers across New Mexico," adding that "OBAE had previously awarded 31 BEAD projects to connect more than 42,500 locations but rescinded 11 awards to a single awardee and an additional awardee withdrew one application. OBAE is pursuing a process in compliance with BEAD program rules to select a new awardee(s) for the impacted locations."

Related:New BEAD round presents complications, uncertain timeline

Fidium expands in northeast

Fidium Fiber has arrived for thousands more homes and businesses in New Hampshire and Maine. In Strafford County, New Hampshire, Fidium is now available for more than 7,400 homes and businesses in the city of Somersworth, and 2,100 homes and businesses in the town of Milton. In Maine, Fidium Fiber services are also available for more than 3,200 homes and businesses in Fort Kent, a town in Aroostook County. Both builds were privately funded by Fidium Fiber. Formerly known as Consolidated Communications, Fidium Fiber was acquired by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) in December 2024. Consolidated rebranded itself as Fidium in September 2025.

TDS builds in Tennessee, Wisconsin

TDS Telecommunications completed a fiber-upgrade project in Monroe County, Tennessee. The project brings upgraded speeds of up to 8 Gbit/s to 3,000 locations across the county, including in the regions of Tellico Plains, Coker Creek, Vonore and Ball Play. The project was awarded partial grant funding ($12.9 million) in 2022 by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development's Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund, using federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Related:New Mexico prepares to roll out new ACP-like program

Over in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, TDS wrapped work on a fiber network buildout to deliver connectivity to 2,500 homes and businesses. Construction on the privately funded Iowa County build began in 2023, according to a press release. TDS, a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, has funding from Oaktree Capital Management.

Kinetic konnects Lexington, Kentucky

Kinetic has grown its reach across Lexington, Kentucky, by 31% over the last year. According to a press release, the company has expanded to an additional 11,400 locations, with a total reach of 46,800 locations in the Fayette County region. The expansion in the region is "fully funded" by Kinetic, says the company, which noted it "will continue adding fiber locations in Lexington through the end of the year and into 2027." To commemorate the milestone, Kinetic is hosting a week of community events through October 18. Kinetic is a subsidiary of Uniti Group, which completed a merger with Windstream in August 2025.

Related:Nearly one-third of electric co-ops have declined BEAD awards – NRECA

Comcast available in Hardee County, Florida

Comcast's Xfinity and Business services are available for nearly 2,000 homes and businesses in Hardee County, Florida, in and around the neighborhoods of Buchanan, Crewsville, Gardner, Lemon Grove, Moffitt, Oak Grove, Sweetwater, Wauchula and Zolfo Springs. That includes 1,300 previously unserved locations, according to a press release. The network buildout is part of a larger, ongoing public-private partnership through which Comcast was awarded state grant funding to expand in several Florida regions.

Spectrum hits more rural Indiana homes

Spectrum is available for another 760 homes and businesses in Sullivan County, Indiana. The region is included in Spectrum's multi-year rural construction initiative, supported by Spectrum's private investment and government grants.

Wire 3 completes Titusville, Florida, build

Wire 3 has wrapped construction in the Brevard County, Florida, community of Titusville. The $11.5 million privately funded project now reaches "thousands more Floridians," according to an unspecific press release. Wire 3 is funded by combined investments from Guggenheim Investments and from Oak Hill Capital, which joined Wire 3 as a majority investor in 2024.

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